The objective of a negotiated peace in Afghanistan has been firmly embraced by most of the potential parties to a treaty. However, arriving at an agreement about the sequencing, timing, and prioritization of peace terms is likely to be difficult, given the divergence in the parties' interests and objectives. The U.S. objective in these negotiations... more...

On March 21, 2007, the RAND Corporation held a public conference on Capitol Hill, Coping with Iran: Confrontation, Containment, or Engagement? featuring high-level experts and hosted by the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center. More than 300 guests attended, including former ambassadors, members of Congress... more...

Some time in the coming decade, Iran will probably acquire nuclear weapons or the capacity to quickly produce them. This monograph provides a midterm strategy for dealing with Iran that neither begins nor ends at the point at which Tehran acquires a nuclear weapon capability. It proposes an approach that neither acquiesces to a nuclear-armed Iran... more...

Assesses humanitarian-assistance efforts by and interaction between civilian and military providers in the early phases of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; and evaluates relief, reconstruction, humanitarian, and humanitarian-type aid efforts in Afghanistan during the intense phase of military operations, from September 2001 to June 2002. more...

Hope for a prosperous and peaceful future for Haiti lies in building a more effective, resilient state. This report identifies the main challenges to more capable governance, evaluates existing plans for improving the delivery of public services, and proposes a realistic set of critical actions. The proposed state-building priorities merit the greatest... more...

Following on a series of RAND Corporation studies of nation-building, this monograph analyzes the impediments that local conditions pose to successful outcomes in these interventions. It examines how external actors and local leaders in a variety of societies modified or worked around those conditions to promote enduring peace. more...

Looking to the 2030?2040 time frame, U.S. policy and military strategy will need to strike a balance among maintaining a cooperative relationship with China, deterring Chinese aggression in regional disputes, and preparing for the possibility that China could become more assertive. The U.S. Army will have an important role to play in preparing for... more...